The weather in the world of One Piece is very strange. It's not just red moons; sometimes two moons can appear in the sky.
The celestial phenomena are unpredictable, with no set pattern.
Because of this, even though sailing is an advanced industry in this world, people can't navigate by the stars. They can only rely on technology like the Log Pose.
Diarmuid, however, was now able to use his own abilities to sense the lines of the "gravity field."
So, as long as he had been to an island once and recorded its "line," he wouldn't need a Log Pose to go back. He could just follow the guidance of his own abilities.
Instead of setting up camp or bothering the displaced people, Diarmuid and Garp stayed on the Marine ship for two days.
On the third night, the red moon arrived as scheduled.
The entire night sky became strangely sinister. The formerly brilliant moonlight was now a bloody red.
The wild animals on the island also became agitated.
At that moment, Diarmuid and Garp returned to the altar.
"How often does the red moon happen?" Diarmuid asked.
"Some say it's once a year, others say once every ten, or even a hundred years," Garp said casually.
"How come I've never seen it before?" Diarmuid asked, looking up at the blood-like moon in the sky.
For some reason, he suddenly felt the urge to shout "Infinite Tsukuyomi!"
But he quickly suppressed that cringe-worthy thought.
Garp shrugged. "That's the strange part. We can see the red moon now, but in other seas, the sky is probably normal. No one knows why it happens."
"It's that magical? I thought the entire world would be under a red moon right now," Diarmuid said, surprised.
"This world is just that magical… Who cares anyway? Let's hurry up!" Garp said, unconcerned.
A moment later, the two of them arrived in front of Claudius's statue again.
The cursed blade Kokorowatari was still on the sword stand. It looked no different from before.
However, the crimson moonlight shone on the scabbard, making the eerie cursed blade even more mysterious.
"I wonder if there really is a curse on it," Diarmuid said with a laugh.
As he spoke, he reached for the hilt again, his heart on guard against any surprises.
But to his surprise, the strange force that had blocked Kokorowatari two days ago had completely disappeared. His hand gripped the understated yet luxurious hilt of Kokorowatari firmly.
Garp watched the scene, dumbfounded, then said in disbelief, "That's it? I thought there would be some big spectacle."
Diarmuid was also surprised. He tried to take Kokorowatari off the stand, and nothing happened. It was as if the projections of the battle-ax, hammer, and short sword they had seen two days ago were just an illusion.
"When the red moon appears, Kokorowatari is released. Maybe it really is that simple," Diarmuid said with a sigh.
The sword felt neither light nor heavy; it felt just right.
He took a few steps back and, with the crimson moonlight shining on him, he placed his other hand on the scabbard and pulled gently. A flash of cold light reflected the red moon onto his face.
He had only unsheathed it a fraction, but the blade's sharp aura was already overflowing, as if it wanted to release all the suppression it had endured for centuries.
But in the next moment, a sudden change occurred. A vast amount of crimson energy, dark and obscure, overflowed from the scabbard. Just looking at it could make one shudder.
Diarmuid, holding the sword, was the first to be affected. His eyes immediately became bloodshot, savage, and evil.
This sudden change startled Garp. He instinctively took a few steps back, watching Diarmuid warily, afraid he would suddenly go berserk.
But it was only for a moment. Diarmuid's aura flared, and the evil look in his eyes quickly faded. The blood vessels also disappeared.
"What a fierce sword!" Diarmuid exclaimed.
To be honest, he never took cursed swords seriously. No matter how "cursed," wasn't it still just a sword?
But in that instant, he was sure that Kokorowatari had influenced him.
If a person with a weaker will had held the sword, they would have probably turned into a butcher on the spot, killing everyone they could see.
Or perhaps they would have just killed themselves?
Luckily, Diarmuid had his Iron Will, and in that instant, he suppressed Kokorowatari's demonic power.
"Can a cursed blade really affect its owner?" Garp asked, surprised.
He looked at the dark, crimson energy constantly seeping from the gap in the scabbard and said, almost tempted, "Let me touch it…"
Diarmuid hesitated. What if Garp was affected by Kokorowatari and went on a rampage? That would be a huge problem.
But before he could say anything, Garp, the old coot, grabbed the hilt of Kokorowatari.
The next second, his eyes also turned bloodshot. Diarmuid was shocked and immediately slapped his hand away. Garp's eyes returned to normal.
"What are you doing? I didn't even get to properly experience the feeling!" Garp said, clearly annoyed.
"You're getting a kick out of this, aren't you? What if you went crazy? What am I supposed to do? I can't just kill you on the spot, can I?" Diarmuid grumbled.
"I wouldn't. Although it had an effect, I feel like with a little time, I could suppress it too," Garp said, shaking his head.
After he finished, he looked at Diarmuid in surprise. "But your willpower is truly beyond my expectations. You suppressed Kokorowatari that quickly?"
'I'm cheating, of course!' Diarmuid grumbled in his head, but at the same time, he understood what was happening.
Just as a person chooses a sword, a mystical blade like Kokorowatari has a concept of choosing its owner.
The power that had affected their minds was probably Kokorowatari's way of testing them.
If a person's will couldn't resist Kokorowatari's influence, they would inevitably become a crazed murderer under the sword's control, or commit suicide.
This was probably the origin of Kokorowatari's name as a "cursed blade."
"More or less," Diarmuid said, dismissing Garp's praise. Without hesitation, he unsheathed Kokorowatari completely.
In that instant, the surroundings changed color. A dark, obscure, evil, and fearful energy condensed and overflowed into the air, visible to the naked eye.
"Before, I didn't think much of it, just a cursed sword, but now, with that sword in your hands, you don't look like a Marine at all. You look exactly like a pirate!" Garp said, astonished.
This sword was too bizarre. It could even make that gloomy energy take form. Anyone holding this sword would not look like a good person!
Diarmuid was about to speak when the situation changed again.
A powerful gust of wind pressure erupted from the blade. The moment it left the sword, it turned into a blade of wind and slashed the statue of Donquixote Claudius nearby, cleanly beheading it!
This sudden change left both Diarmuid and Garp speechless.
Garp looked at the stone head that had rolled to the ground and clicked his tongue. "You have a grudge against him?"
"That wasn't me!" Diarmuid immediately replied.
Then, ignoring Garp, he swung the sword again, slashing at the empty air in the distance.
He didn't use any power, but another blade of wind shot out from the sword.
At this, a look of surprise and delight appeared in Diarmuid's eyes. "This sword can generate wind pressure!"
A surprised look also appeared in Garp's eyes. He said, "It truly lives up to its name as a legendary cursed blade…"
Of course, he was only surprised. It wasn't completely unbelievable.
In this world, some blades were just weird and had a lot of strange functions.
For example, Foxfire Kin'emon. The sword he wielded could create fire.
Another example was Kozuki Oden's old sword, Enma, which could absorb Haki and increase the power of a slash. A normal person trying to use that sword would be drained of their life.
Swords like Enma and Kokorowatari could be considered blades with a spirit.
Diarmuid looked at the stone head on the ground and laughed. "Maybe since Claudius suppressed it for a hundred years, Kokorowatari has a deep hatred for him? So it took the initiative to generate wind pressure and chop off that guy's head."
Not caring about the statue anymore, Diarmuid held Kokorowatari up to the crimson moonlight and carefully observed the blade. The blade was bright and flawless, a truly rare and excellent sword.
At the base of the blade, where it met the hilt, a line of small words was etched: "Kokorowatari: Hellscream."
At the same time, two more sentences were carved on either side of the blade, near the hilt.
On one side, it said, "The blade severs flesh, the heart cleaves the soul."
On the other, it read, "To guide others and oneself, first guide the heart, that is Kokorowatari."
He already thought the sword was impressive, but these two sentences on the blade elevated it to a whole new level.
But what did "Hellscream" mean?
"It truly is a top-tier Meito. I like this sword!" Diarmuid laughed.
As if it could feel Diarmuid's affection, Kokorowatari hummed softly and, facing the blood moon, released a powerful wind pressure slash.
"Hahahaha!" Diarmuid laughed, returned Kokorowatari to its scabbard, and hung it on his waist.
At the same time, the dark and gloomy energy that had been surrounding him also quickly vanished.
"What a shame. I'm not a swordsman, or I would have fought you for this sword," Garp said with regret.
But then, he was stunned. "Wait a minute, if I remember correctly, you're just a half-baked swordsman, aren't you? Why do you need such a good sword?"
"What are you talking about? I've been a famous swordsman for years!" Diarmuid said shamelessly.
After a brief pause, he patted the scabbard on his waist. "Besides, this Kokorowatari is a bit mischievous. I'm the only one who can keep it in check. If it were to fall into the wrong hands, it would cause great disaster. It's only right and just that I, with a righteous heart, take it with me. I believe that as long as I am sincere, it will eventually become a kind sword…"
Seeing Diarmuid's brazen behavior, Garp opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing. He just shook his head and said, "Shameless."
"Same to you," Diarmuid said, giving Garp a sarcastic salute.
The sword was now his. While there might have been other weird secrets on the island, Diarmuid and Garp had no interest in exploring them.
The two quickly went down the mountain and rested on the ship for the night. The next morning, the ship set sail toward Garp's hometown.
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TN: Kokorowatari means "heart crossing/ferrying."
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